1 officer charged in Floyd death seeks case dismissal

MINNEAPOLIS – An attorney for Thomas Lane, one of four former Minneapolis police officers charged in the death of George Floyd, is asking to have his client’s case dismissed, saying there isn’t probable cause to charge him.

In court filings made public Wednesday, attorney Earl Gray painted an image of a rookie officer who trusted his senior officer after Floyd had been acting erratically, struggling and hurting himself. Gray said Lane had asked twice if officers should roll Floyd on his side, and Derek Chauvin, the senior officer, said no.

St. Louis name change?

Not happening, governor tells Trump

ST. LOUIS – Despite some calls to change the name of St. Louis, Missouri’s governor told President Donald Trump that it’s not going to happen.

The issue came up Tuesday in Washington when Republican Gov. Mike Parson participated in a discussion about reopening schools across the nation. In response to a question from Trump about a possible name change, Parson said, “No, we will not be doing that.”

More than 1,000 people have signed a petition to change the name of St. Louis. Activists have cited concerns about the treatment of Jewish and Muslim people by the city’s namesake, 13th Century French King Louis IX. The petition also calls for a statue of the king to be removed from Forest Park. It does not suggest an alternative name for the city.

Africa’s confirmed COVID-19 cases surge above a half-million

JOHANNESBURG – Africa has more than a half-million confirmed coronavirus cases, while South Africa’s health minister declared Wednesday that “we have now reached the surge.”

The true number of cases among Africa’s 1.3 billion people is unknown as its 54 countries face a serious shortage of testing materials for the virus.

Compiled from USA TODAY Network and Associated Press reports.